Animal control, Lonestar assist in evacuating animals

Audrie PalmerMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 4:39 pm, Monday, April 11, 2011

When smoke started to fill the sky Saturday evening and evacuations were ordered in parts of South Midland County for a rapidly expanding wildfire, there was one facility that needed help and two other local organizations banded together to assist.

The Midland SPCA shelter was near the line of fire Saturday, located at 2701 South County Road 1201, and was told to evacuate by fire officials and law enforcement. Calls to the shelter were not returned by press time.

Receiving calls for assistance and to try to get the animals out of harm's way, Director Paul O'Neill with Midland Animal Services and Kirk French ,executive director of Lone Star Sanctuary for Animals, loaded up their staff, trucks and trailers and made their ways through the blocked off areas to help evacuate as many as they could.

O'Neill said he was able to take about 18-19 dogs in crates via the animal control trailer, truck and an additional pickup and were able to keep the canines overnight until the fire was extinguished Sunday morning.

"They needed the help and we were glad to help," he said.

French said that while his organization is currently over-capacity, his staff were still able to help rescue 11 dogs, 24 cats and a bunny for the night.

"They had everything blocked off, but when we did finally get there, the fire was fairly close as we were loading them up," French said recalling Saturday night's events.

Many of the animals were scared, he added. The staff at Lone Star have a quarantine area where they were able to keep the animals in their carriers and feed them for the night.

The animals were then returned Sunday afternoon as well.

But the events from the grassfire though have gotten local officials thinking about a future evacuation plan for the animals and French said he plans to talk with the other two organizations to have a plan ready in case of another disaster.

"Really, this is the first time we've had to deal with this. It was an eye-opener for everyone. We have vacant land behind us with tall grass. It's made us start thinking of what we would do," he said.